Process and apparatus for scouring textile material in rope form



D: C. HARDMAN Jan. 9, 1962 3,016,282 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FoR sCouRING TEXTILE MATERIAL IN ROPE FORM 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed sept. 21, 1959 INVENTOR. DAVID C. HARDMAN 3g/Zad ma ATTORNEYS Jan. 9, 1962 Filed Sept. 21, 1959 HARDMAN 3,016,282

D.' C. PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SCOURING TEXTILE MATERIAL IN ROPE FORM 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

DAVID C. HARDMAN ATTORNEYS Jan. 9, 1962 DI PROCESS ANO APPARATO lC. HARDMAN 3,016,282 s FOR SCOURING TEXTILE MATERIAL IN ROPE FORM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 2l, 1959 INVEN TOR. DAVID C, HARDMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,016,282 PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SCOURING TEXTILE MATERIAL IN ROPE FORM David C. Hardman, 100 Fiske Ave., Cumberland Hill, RJ. Filed Sept. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 841,271

Claims.l (Cl. 8-151) This invention relates to a new and improved process for' scouring textile material in rope form and more particularly lace and an apparatus for performing the process.

There' are two general methods in practice today for scouring lace. The iirst yprocess is one in which the web of lace is pulled out of the kettle in rope form by a pair of squeeze rolls and then passed over a roundor elliptical reel and returned to the front of the kettle -to repeat the cycle as an endless belt. This scouring operation requires two to sixteen or more hours, or until the web is clean of contaminates and in particular, graphite that is used as a dry lubricant in Ithe lace loom.

The second process is one in which the web of lace in rope form is pulled from the kettle by a'pair of squeeze rolls over a guide roll, and returned to the front of the kettle over a guide roll to' repeat the cyclev as an endless belt until the web is clean of contaminates.

The scoring of lace by these methods presents difficulties and is a long process. In the first place the saturated web is heavy and this weight creates tension on the threads and fibres when i-t is pulled from the kettle by the squeeze rolls. This tension on the threads and libres locks in the contaminates and defeats the action of the scouring bath. ln the second place this tension is uneven and distorts the fabric pattern. After scouring the web is rinsed, Vsoaped and rinsed in the same kettles.

l have discovered tha-t if the lace is fed into the squeeze rolls completely relaxed and without fabric or fibre tension, the soil and contaminates are quickly and more completely scoured from the lace. p

It is yanl object of this invention to provide a process of scouring lace which will be more complete and yet done faster than processes heretofore known.

lt is another object of this invention to scour lace in such a way that there is no distortion of the lace pattern, such as by tensions created in the scouring operation.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a process in which a more viscous scouring liquor may be used for the scouring bath so that a better scouring may be had and yet this scouring may be performed in a shorter time.

A still further object of this invention is to improve and hasten the rinsing, Soaping and rinsing cycles after scouring.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of a scouring kettle equipped for the performing of the improved scouring operation of `this invention;

FGURE 2 is a top plan view thereof; and

FlGURE 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating y a modified form of conveying of the work from the feed roll to the nip rolls.

In proceeding with this invention, the apparatus is ar.v ranged so that the work in rope form which heretofore has lbeen pulled from one place to another and is thus under some tensionwill be fed to the squeeze rolls in an untensioned condition so that the-relaxed rope form will be open and fluffy as it is acted upon bythe squeeze rolls whereby the scouring liquor may have a better chance to scour and clean the work.

ln FIGS. 1 and 2 I have shown a kettle having oppo- 3,016,282 Patented'ian. 9, 196g site side walls 10 and 11, each having feet 12 at one end and 13 at the other end. The bottom of the kettle between these two side walls is comprised of a long sloping forward portion 14 and a lesser sloping rear portion 15 which are joined at a low point 16 from which a drain cock 17 may extend to be opened or closed by the handle 18 so as to withdraw the scouring liquor 19 or rinse water as occasion may require. A back wall 20 completes the kettle as the same has generally an open top. The side walls 10 and 11 may be flanged outwardly as at 21 and 22 (FIG. A2) for the better supporting of the uprights 23 on bases 24 each of which carry bearings for a shaft 25 upon which the lower squeeze roll 26 is mounted. This shaft extends out through the side wall 10 and carries a pulley 27 which is driven from a motor 28 on the flange 21 through pulley 29 on the motor and belt 30 between the pulleys 29 and 27.

The uprights 23 also slidably carry bearings for the shaft 3i upon which the upper squeeze roll 32 is sup-v ported. These'bearings are urged vupwardlyv by a spring 33 and forced vdownwardly through rods-34 and air actuated pistons 35 in cylinders 35 which are suitably controlled at either support so as to cause' the desired ten'- sion 'or squeeze on the work which passes between them.

The roll 32 need not be driven positively but willrotate through its contact with the work as it passes between the two rolls. A

At another location on the tank or kettle, uprights 36 are provided on either side of the kettle which serve to adjustably support bearings for a shaft 37 carrying a feed roll 38. The bearings for this shaft 37 may be adjusted in Athe s1ots'39 of the upright's 36 to any desired height.4

The shaftv 37 carries a pulley .40 vwhich is driven from the motor 41 mounted on the portion 21 of the kettle through its pulley 42 and the belt 43 encircling the pulleys 42 and 40.

The kettle is of a dimension to accommodate a plurality of pieces of work in rope form. I have illustrated in FIG. 2 Isix of such pieces, although it will be readily understood that a larger number could be accommodated by extending the dimension of the kettle.

The surface speed of the feed roll 38 will be considerably faster than the surface speed of the squeeze roll 26, that is the overfeed will be from 9% to 20% faster, so that the work 45 in rope form as it is drawn from the kettle about the feed roll will be delivered in a rather limp untensioned form from -the feed roll on to a conveyor designated generally 46 and shown as a belt or apron 47 in FIG. l which passes about the squeeze roll 26 and about an idler roll 48 on a shaft 49 the bearings for which may ybe adjusted in the slot 50 of the uprights 36 so as to provide the same with the proper tension. This conveyor belt 47 is inclined lat about 10 to the horizontal and receives Ithe work as at 51 in a loose and fluffy conditionas it is deposited thereon from the vfeed roll 38, and it conveys this work in this loose and uffy condition to the squeeze rolls where it is acted upon to force the treating or scouring liquor with which the rope is saturated through the loose and uly condition of the rope causing the squeezed out liquor to drop'back into the kettle where it will be again picked up bythe work, and the work will Y55 may be arranged to receive thev rope and convey it by sliding the same along the support toward the nlp of the squeeze rolls 26 and 32. The other parts of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 3 are the same as those described in FIG. 1. This inclined chute will receive the rope and allow it to open as it is deposited thereon in a relaxed condition and become fluffy as it slides forward to the nip without there being any tension provided or any pull from the squeeze rolls on the rope. Thus, it will have the open condition which is desirable for squeezing the liquor through it. l

It is foundY that by opening the rope so that the liquor can get a better chance to Wash and circulate through the rope that the scouring timeis reduced from 1/3 to 26 or an average of one-half the time needed for the scouring of such materials as lace asv that heretofore required, Also a better job is often performed in this shorter time.

The scouring liquormay alsobe made a shorter bath in this apparatus and whereas it has heretofore been desirable to use 41/2 pints of the bath to one pound of lace, now two pints yoaf the same bath may be used to one pound of lace. The bath is the same as that which has heretofore usually been used and consists of water in which there is 1a scavenger, such as casein, borax and a metal phosphate, a. surfactant anddetergents.

By releasing the tension on the work as it passes through `the squeeze roll, there is found to be little or no distortion ofthe lace pattern which the tensions heretofore used often caused.

I-clairn:

l. The process of scouring an endless loop of textile fabric in rope form which comprises wetting the rope at the Ybottom of the loop with cleaning Huid, lifting the wetted portion of the rope from bellow and feeding the rope to a squeezing operation between traveling surfaces on opposite sides thereof from a location at least as high as the squeezing operation, said squeezing traveling surfaces moving at a surface velocity slower than the velocity of the rope being fed to the squeezing operation so that the work passes through the squeezing operation in a relaxed relatively open form, and then depositing the rope below the squeezing operation and then repeating the cycle of travel of the rope.

2. The process of claim 1 whereinthe squeezing operation is between rolls and the lifting and feeding is by a rotating traveling surface over which the rope extends located at a height above the nip of the squeezing operation and the work moves downwardly to the squeezing operation.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the lifting and feeding is by a rotating ltraveling surface over which the rope extends and a traveling surfacefeeds the work to the squeezing operation. f

4. A textile scouring machine for work in rope form comprising a kettle, `a pair of squeeze rolls over the kettle, means for driving said rolls, a feed roll over the kettle located higher than the squeeze `rolls for pulling the Work from` the kettle', means for driving ,the feed roll at a surface speed greaterrthan the surface speed of the squeeze rolls, and an endless traveling belt for conveying the Work from the feed roll to the squeeze rolls in a yrelaxed untensioned condition whereby the work enters the squeeze rolls in an open form to be acted on by the squeeze rolls. 5. A textile scouring machine as in claim 4 wherein the traveling belt passes about `the lower squeeze roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,107,476 FruSher Feb. 8, 1938 2,474,717 Belcher June 28, 1948 2,718,773 Wilcox Sept. 27, 1955 2,736,183 Arnold Feb. 28, 1956 2,846,862 Morrill Aug. 12, 1958 

1. THE PROCESS OF SCOURING AN ENDLESS LOOP OF TEXTILE FABRIC IN ROPE FORM WHICH COMPRISES WETTING THE ROPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LOOP WITH CLEANING FLUID, LIFTING THE WETTING PORTION OF THE ROPE FROM BELOW AND FEEDING THE ROPE TO A SQUEEZING OPERATION BETWEEN TARAVELING SURFACES ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF FROM A LOCATION AT LEAST AS HIGH AS THE SQUEEZING OPERATION, SAID SQUEEZING TRAVELING SURFACES MOVING AT A SURFACE VELOCITY SLOWER THAN THE VELOCITY OF THE ROPE BEING FED TO THE SQUEEZING OPERATION SO THAT THE WORK PASSES THROUGH THE SQUEEZING OPERATION IN A RELAXED RELATIVELY OPEN FORM, AND THEN DEPOSITING THE ROPE BELOW THE SQUEEZING OPERATION AND THEN REPEATING THE CYCLE OF TRAVEL OF THE ROPE. 